Career Summary

Qualifications

Graduate Certificate Practice of Tertiary Teaching, University of Newcastle, 10/12/2007

Research

Research keywords

Autonomic Nervous System

Electrophysiology

Neuroanatomy

Pain and Sensory Dysfunction

Research expertise

My research centres on the structure and function of nerves which control our internal organs. This includes, the sensory neurons which give us information on the state of our internal organs, and the autonomic neurons which modify organ function. We are interested in how autonomic neurons receive information from other parts of the nervous system and how they process this information before sending signals to the final target organ. At present we are focusing on control of the female reproductive tract using a number of animal models. To study these complex nervous pathways we use a combination of electrical recording techniques, to monitor the activity of individual neurons, and anatomical techniques to visualise the shape and chemical content of neurons.

The major aim of our research is to build a picture of the types of neurons which are important in pelvic organ function and the nature of the chemical signals which neurons use to communicate with each other. This knowledge will be crucial to the design of therapies aimed at combating the wide range of diseases which involve perturbations of the autonomic and sensory nervous systems. Such maladies include incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and chronic pelvic pain.

Fields of Research

Code

Description

Percentage

110399

Clinical Sciences Not Elsewhere Classified

40

111600

Medical Physiology

40

060699

Physiology Not Elsewhere Classified

20

Memberships

Committee/Associations (relevant to research).

State Representitive (2002, 2003) - Australian Neuroscience Society

Awards

Research Award.

1996

Australian Postdoctoral FellowshipNHMRC (Australia)One of very few recipients of these very competitive fellowships.